140 A BUFFALO HUNT [ch. vi 



and in a minute we heard the moaning bellow which a 

 wounded buffalo often gives before dying. Immediately 

 afterward we could hear the dogs worrying it, wliile it 

 bellowed again. It was still living as I came up, and 

 though it evidently could not rise, there was a chance 

 of its damaging one of the dogs, so I finished it off 

 with a shot from the Winchester. Heller reached it 

 that afternoon, and the skin and meat were brought in 

 by the porters before nightfall. 



Cuninghame remained with the body while the rest 

 of us rode off and killed several different animals we 

 wanted. In the afternoon I returned, ha\ ing a vaguely 

 uncomfortable feeling that as it grew dusk the buffalo 

 might possibly make their appearance again. Sure 

 enough, there they were. A number of them were in 

 the open plain, although close to the swamp, a mile and 

 a half beyond the point where the work of cutting up 

 the cow was just being finished, and the porters were 

 preparing to start with their loads. It seemed very 

 strange that after their experience in the morning any 

 of the herd should be willing to come into the open so 

 soon. But there they were. They were grazing to the 

 number of about a dozen. Looking' at them throucjh tlie 

 glass I could see that their attention was attracted to 

 us. They gazed at us for some time, and then walked 

 slowly in our direction for at least a couple of hundred 

 yards. For a moment I was even doubtful whether 

 they did not intend to come toward us and charge. 

 But it was only curiosity on their part, and after having 

 gazed their fill, they sauntered back to the swamp and 

 disappeared. There was no chance to get at them, and, 

 moreover, darkness was rapidly falling. 



Next morning we broke camp. The porters, strapping 

 grown-up children that they were, felt as much pleasure 



